It was a lie told in the critical state of Ohio in the final days of a close campaign — that Jeep was moving its U.S. production to China. It originated with a conservative blogger, who twisted an accurate news story into a falsehood. Then it picked up steam when the Drudge Report ran with it. Even though Jeep’s parent company gave a quick and clear denial, Mitt Romney repeated it and his campaign turned it into a TV ad.

And they stood by the claim, even as the media and the public expressed collective outrage against something so obviously false.

People often say that politicians don’t pay a price for deception, but this time was different: A flood of negative press coverage rained down on the Romney campaign, and he failed to turn the tide in Ohio, the most important state in the presidential election.

PolitiFact has selected Romney’s claim that Barack Obama “sold Chrysler to Italians who are going to build Jeeps in China” at the cost of American jobs as the 2012 Lie of the Year.

I would have chosen the Romney campaign’s lie about the President’s “you didn’t build that” statement, because by omitting all the words before and after that deceptive catchphrase they actually convinced a lot of people that Obama was bashing small business owners — when in reality he was praising the American system that enables small business owners to succeed. That Big Lie was much more effective as propaganda than the “Jeeps in China” howler, which was thoroughly debunked almost immediately.

Upding for favoring the “you didn’t build that” mendacity for the top spot.

That one really irritated me, because it was such a blatant inversion of the truth. Obama was actually expressing a very positive idea about the American system of government, and it was perverted into a paranoid attack that made no logical sense.

Charles,
As much as we disagreed about the lie of the year last year, I am in full agreement with you on this one.

Then (and I think we might agree again) I got pissed at Politifact.

Right below is a "promise broken" by Obama, and the hangup on the promise is a recalcitrant congress. Obama broke a promise 'cause Congress held it up? I'll call that "socks on fire" as an allusion to holding their feet to the fire when needed.

That one really irritated me, because it was such a blatant inversion of the truth. Obama was actually expressing a very positive idea about the American system of government, and it was perverted into a paranoid attack that made no logical sense.

A portrait of the Republican Party in 2012.

Correction: A portrait of the Republican Party post-Obama's election. Basically, they went into meltdown mode ever since McCain lost, they've just been digging deeper and deeper. All they can think of is the Us vs. Them mindset, and anything They say must be made to sound un-American, because Reagan, dammit.

I got news for you. THe Republican Party melted down in 1994. The whole Whitewater thing and then the Paula Jones, Monica Lewinski was never about truth and justice, it was always about power and only power. Karl Rove was talking about leveraging the 33% Republican base into a permanent majority after "winning" the White House in 2000.

I got news for you. THe Republican Party melted down in 1994. The whole Whitewater thing and then the Paula Jones, Monica Lewinski was never about truth and justice, it was always about power and only power. Karl Rove was talking about leveraging the 33% Republican base into a permanent majority after "winning" the White House in 2000.

Not news to me. Clinton's presidency was a very big sticking point in the craw of many Republicans. That was Rush Limbaugh's heyday.

But you just said "Basically, they went into meltdown mode ever since McCain lost", now it's about Clinton's Presidency? Just ball busting over a detail, but it's funny that it took sooo long for people to catch on. People are still slow to catch on.

But you just said "Basically, they went into meltdown mode ever since McCain lost", now it's about Clinton's Presidency? Just ball busting over a detail, but it's funny that it took sooo long for people to catch on. People are still slow to catch on.

(I really gotta get these buttons fixed) I'm not going to quibble over just how technical a colloquialism is. My point is the Party has been off the hook, no, out of control, no, off the rails, you know I really can't come up with anything that isn't a figure of speech!

OT
Breaking local news-Armed men have robbed a pawn shop/jewelry store, high speed pursuit, and a suspect is hiding at at Cal State Fullerton. (CSUF) So as a result of a robbery we have an armed man at a school on the run.

In a plea for money, the campaign of Indiana Senate candidate Richard Mourdock told its supporters on Tuesday that the Republican hopeful lost due to media bias.

“After a bitter, hard-fought campaign, many Republicans all over the country were forced to accept defeat rather than celebrate victory. In our case, we found our campaign caught in the liberal media crosshairs. Never has Indiana seen a more obvious example of media bias by reporters more interested in defeating conservatives than reporting the news,” Mourdock Finance Director Ashlee Walls wrote in a fundraising email obtained by The Hill.

“We fought back and invested heavily in a last-minute push to combat the slew of false accusations Democrats and the liberal media churned up to distract voters.”

As someone said on Balloon Juice, Politifact chose this one because it was easy: There was no "he said/she said" because the car company itself had someone call it a lie. "You didn't build that" would have required Politifact to actually do work to report it as a lie.

I am grading term papers right now for a Gender & Power in the US history class.

This offering of fail is for your enjoyment. I give it to you without change or comment, except to note that the paper is supposed to be about differences between white and African American masculinity:

Next, I think everyone should have an idol its important that you look up to someone whether it has a positive or negative affect your life, hopefully its positive though. While doing my research I found it difficult to find a certain role model of mine that was a white male. My mom and dad are two of the top five people that I have looked up to my entire life but, three of my my main idols that I have grown fond of while growing up are technically not of the Caucasion skin. My three idols are Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Derek Jeter and Michael Jordan. Dwayne Johnson is from Samoan decent, Derek Jeter has a black father and a white mother, and Michael Jordan is an African American. Although they don't personify white masculinity because they are from a different background, they are great role models for any race because of how they act and their accomplishments within their field of work.
The Rock, considered to be the greatest wrestler of all time has won an astounding 9 world titles within WWE/WWF amd he demonstrates masculinity through his trademark catchphrase, "Just Bring It!" his ripped & jacked physique and his toughness to never back down from a fight.

As someone said on Balloon Juice, Politifact chose this one because it was easy: There was no "he said/she said" because the car company itself had someone call it a lie. "You didn't build that" would have required Politifact to actually do work to report it as a lie.

More cynically, "you didn't build that" could be twisted into something in the same star cluster as the truth, so Politifact gave it a "false" as opposed to the richly deserved pants-on-fire.

I still think the winner should have been the very first general election ad the Romney campaign ran --- the "we can't talk about the economy" line being attributed to Obama when it was actually Obama quoting McCain. Talk about starting out as you plan to continue --- all lies from beginning to end.

I am grading term papers right now for a Gender & Power in the US history class.

This offering of fail is for your enjoyment. I give it to you without change or comment, except to note that the paper is supposed to be about how differences between white and African American masculinity:

I am grading term papers right now for a Gender & Power in the US history class.

This offering of fail is for your enjoyment. I give it to you without change or comment, except to note that the paper is supposed to be about how differences between white and African American masculinity:

Bring the fucking meteor now.

This was actually turned in as academic work.

Oh dear. Functionally illiterate and zero apparent content. Please tell me this is not in a college class.

Introducing a series of recipes extracted from his new cookbook, Three Good Things on a Plate, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall explains why the best meals are often the simplest, using just three basic elements

I return now to my cloister/Scriptorium to resume grading. Fortunately, I will not require additional penitent correction from my chapter master, since this is deemed punishment enough...

My academic background is in the physical sciences, and I've always believed that cluelessness in such fields could reach levels of dismal awfulness (e.g., "not even wrong") that cannot be attained in other fields that have less objective standards for correctness.

My conjecture is disproved. We now have the young earth creationism of essay writing.

Likely a bunch of Business Majors. Was never very impressed by them at school.

And many of the smart ones still have trouble connecting X and Y together. You would think a person who is being trained as a US History teacher would have the knowledge that Libertarianism won't work, but nope.

And what is worse, it seems like Libertarianism turns people meaner. She was nicer as a straight-laced social conservative. Now, she starts arguing when I try and get to the logic of why she supports those ideas, and the Republicans still. I outright told her at one point that supporting the Republican party of today means supporting racism and bigotry, including being anti-Muslim. She then gets offended when I make that insinuation saying she has Muslim friends other then myself.

Granted these days I see politics as war, set pieces and all. And now, I am more numb emotionally, so I am harsher against people nowadays, as it has become near impossible to feel anything.

Likely a bunch of Business Majors. Was never very impressed by them at school.

And many of the smart ones still have trouble connecting X and Y together. You would think a person who is being trained as a US History teacher would have the knowledge that Libertarianism won't work, but nope.

And what is worse, it seems like Libertarianism turns people meaner. She was nicer as a straight-laced social conservative. Now, she starts arguing when I try and get to the logic of why she supports those ideas, and the Republicans still. I outright told her at one point that supporting the Republican party of today means supporting racism and bigotry, including being anti-Muslim. She then gets offended when I make that insinuation saying she has Muslim friends other then myself.

Granted these days I see politics as war, set pieces and all. And now, I am more numb emotionally, so I am harsher against people nowadays, as it has become near impossible to feel anything.

US-style libertarianism comes down to "I've got mine, you can FOAD". Embracing this view naturally makes people meaner.

My academic background is in the physical sciences, and I've always believed that cluelessness in such fields could reach levels of dismal awfulness (e.g., "not even wrong") that cannot be attained in other fields that have less objective standards for correctness.

My conjecture is disproved. We now have the young earth creationism of essay writing.

Just back for a minute.

My degree is in geology, so I understand what you are getting at. My minor is US history though, and most of my undergrad writing was in history. Writing about the Laramide Orogeny or the K-T Boundary mass extinction is fun, but history is a bit easier to actually engage in some degree of expression, so I find it more enjoyable to write about.

In all honesty, this is possibly the worst example of writing I have
ever seen. The paper is written in colloquial street slang much of
the time, and serious issues with syntax, grammar and basic
punctuation are very, very prevalent. No attempt is made to engage
with academic sources or the material covered in class. It is obvious
that the two students did not collaborate in any fashion while
writing, and the paper distinctly reads like two disparate essays that
have been pasted together at the last minute. This paper would fail
any high school class, and I am having serious difficulty believing
that this was actually turned in as an academic paper. I think that
some sort of discussion needs to be raised with these two students,
because this is not the sort of work that can be accepted at this
school. I am actually insulted that they would give this to you for a
grade.

I admit that I haven't changed for the better either recently. After the stuff I have shared on here, I have become more shut-in emotionally, and much more hard-hearted. I have become the Left-Wing version of Obama's "Bitter and Clinging to Guns and Religion." And that I don't try to change that much, as my efforts on trying to regenerate any sort of social group have failed in the past few months.

My mom and grandmother roundly criticized me today for making snide comments to someone who hasn't spoken to me in 4 months, and wants me to be at their graduation. Said I had become even worse than my Dad.

I admit that I haven't changed for the better either recently. After the stuff I have shared on here, I have become more shut-in emotionally, and much more hard-hearted. I have become the Left-Wing version of Obama's "Bitter and Clinging to Guns and Religion." And that I don't try to change that much, as my efforts on trying to regenerate any sort of social group have failed in the past few months.

My mom and grandmother roundly criticized me today for making snide comments to someone who hasn't spoken to me in 4 months, and wants me to be at their graduation. Said I had become even worse than my Dad.

The difference between you and your dad is you recognize your attitude and the problems it can cause.

I got news for you. THe Republican Party melted down in 1994. The whole Whitewater thing and then the Paula Jones, Monica Lewinski was never about truth and justice, it was always about power and only power. Karl Rove was talking about leveraging the 33% Republican base into a permanent majority after "winning" the White House in 2000.

I'm with you, but after 2008 that fringe element became the driving force of the GOP.

The best way to state how I changed politically is fairly cosmetic compared to her.

I went from nice and sweet Scandinavian Social Democrat to a harsh and bitter Ataturk-esque Social Democrat.

There no point in going nuts over politics --- there's always going to be lots of people who totally disagree with you that you have no hope of convincing. As long as they are not running your life (or country), the problem isn't that bad.

Ataturk is a pretty fierce role model. You might want to dial it back to 11 or so on the intensity scale.

I know much of the most recent problems are from the issue of that I think a person's politics show their personalities.

Essentially, the thought process of "This person is a libertarian, and thus must be an asshole." I'm trying to get back to where I was at this point 2 years ago, but it is a struggle with such a shrunken support system. Of course, as you can imagine, because of this, I have frayed that friendship to shreds, but they haven't left.

I know much of the most recent problems are from the issue of that I think a person's politics show their personalities.

Essentially, the thought process of "This person is a libertarian, and thus must be an asshole." I'm trying to get back to where I was at this point 2 years ago, but it is a struggle with such a shrunken support system. Of course, as you can imagine, because of this, I have frayed that friendship to shreds, but they haven't left.

Yet.

I know an anecdote is not data, but I can say this: I'm a white man approaching middle age, with a generally sour and pessimistic outlook on life.

I refuse to align my politics with my personality and vote for the GOP.

A quick word about college students. I'm back in community college at the ripe old age of 48. Anyway, since it's C.C., as opposed to a real college, some of the students are a litle on the marginal side of things. Anyway, instructor hands out the final exam, and steps out of the room (I guess some of the teachers are marginal too). Anyway, the students are frantically trying to color in the little circles for their names so they can get started cheating "What you get for number 1... I'm still putting in my name! Hurry the f up...Shit here she comes! I think they were wasting their time because they have all their notes potographed in their Iphone anyway.

That one really irritated me, because it was such a blatant inversion of the truth. Obama was actually expressing a very positive idea about the American system of government, and it was perverted into a paranoid attack that made no logical sense.

A portrait of the Republican Party in 2012.

"You didn't build that." could be read a number of ways, whereas the "Jeeps made in China!" ad could only be read as a lie. It's status as a lie is undoubtable, and that's likely why it won.

"The people of the Turkish republic, who claim to be civilized," he told them, "must prove that they are civilized by the way they appear." And that, he explained, meant boots and shoes, trousers, shirt, and tie, jacket and vest. "And to complete these, a cover with a brim on our heads. I want to make this clear. This head covering is called a hat."

I know much of the most recent problems are from the issue of that I think a person's politics show their personalities.

Essentially, the thought process of "This person is a libertarian, and thus must be an asshole." I'm trying to get back to where I was at this point 2 years ago, but it is a struggle with such a shrunken support system. Of course, as you can imagine, because of this, I have frayed that friendship to shreds, but they haven't left.

Yet.

It's OK to treat someone's politics as a clue to their personality, but don't assume its a be-all and end-all. Keep an open mind, PLL.

But you should head over to Destro's "Balkan War Crimes" Page and downding his latest post, since he described Croats, Bosnians, and Albanians with a bigoted slur that merits both downdings and reports for offensive content. That loon has finally gone overboard.

My 106 year old great Aunt passed away yesterday.. a few years back she told us about being a 6 year old girl on the Carpathia when they plucked the Titanic survivors out of the Atlantic on her way to the States.. I figure she had to be the last person around from that night?

I thought you knew the history, and was embracing that level of intensity.

To grossly over-simplify, Ataturk was on a mission to modernize Turkey. He had control of the army, and basically instituted a military dictatorship with the unusual premise of transforming Turkey from a backward religious culture to a modern secular culture (the Fez laws being a tiny part of this scheme).

Basically, he tried to do an enlightenment by force. The results have not been completely satisfactory. In particular, freedom of religion is a very difficult issue in Turkey. Religion has been controlled by the government for decades, and any loosening of these controls (as is occasionally attempted), tends to results in very radical religious elements seizing power. The government is stuck on the back of a tiger with no way to get off.

Another reason not to embrace Ataturk too enthusiastically is the Armenian issue, often referred to as a genocide.

My 106 year old great Aunt passed away yesterday.. a few years back she told us about being a 6 year old girl on the Carpathia when they plucked the Titanic survivors out of the Atlantic on her way to the States.. I figure she had to be the last person around from that night?

Possibly. You might want to include that in her obituary, as it would probably be of interest to your local newspaper.

I still have very fond memories of seeing The Who at Anaheim Stadium in 1976 (and no memories at all of the night before -- we lined up early with gallon bottles of cheap vodka and... perhaps it's best I don't remember).

So how many people here weren't born yet? Anybody here whose parents hadn't been born yet?

Still amazed Republucans want to raise the eligibility age for the #121212Concert to 67.

As my colleague Jennifer Preston reported, there were scuffles between union activists and supporters of Michigan’s Republican-dominated Legislature outside the state Capitol in Lansing on Tuesday, as the lawmakers approved sweeping changes to the way unions will be financed...

Emerging as a force in American education a century ago, social studies was intended to remake the high school. But its greatest effect has been in the elementary grades, where it has replaced an older way of learning that initiated children into their culture with one that seeks instead to integrate them into the social group. The result was a revolution in the way America educates its young. The old learning used the resources of culture to develop the child’s individual potential; social studies, by contrast, seeks to adjust him to the mediocrity of the social pack.

a kind of vision of traditional american society as a bunch of alienated teenagers who shun "conformism"

I regard Libertarianism a marketing ploy, a rebranding. It's really anarchism. There were two clever reasons for this in my opinion.

First, it cut off Libertarianism from history. It no longer has the baggage of anarchism. Libertarianism is shiny, new and pure.

Second, it sets the argument before the argument even starts. To argue against Libertarianism is to argue against the very concept of liberty. Which is bullshit but that's how it appears.

Clever of whoever thought of this rebranding. Clever but unethical.

Funny thing is, US libertarianism doesn't really mean anarchism. Property rights, after all, are to be held sacred. Instead, they want a deliberate return to the failed laissez-faire policies we had in the guilded age.

One could view it as anarchism in the sense that in Libertopia, there are no laws for the masters of the universe. Laws are only for keeping the hoi polloi under proper control and supervision, and away from the property of the Galtian Overlords.

Greetings from the snowy Sierras. Had an 18" berm of snow blocking my driveway when I got here (driving a 328i wagon - not exactly a lot of clearance)...had to rock the car back and forth a few times to get into the driveway. Called the plow guy so it should be clear when I wake up in the morning...or I'll be doing some shoveling.

Brought up a TV and my Roku...all hooked up to the wireless so I can watch things like Burn Notice (which I love) on Netflix. The dogs are happy to be here too...Fozzie took the leather chair (of course)...Banjo's by my feet chewing on a raw beef bone. Tomorrow I go get my first day of ski patrol in for the season. Should be epic - 10" of fresh snow here at the house at 7400' and 23 degrees.

Funny thing is, US libertarianism doesn't really mean anarchism. Property rights, after all, are to be held sacred. Instead, they want a deliberate return to the failed laissez-faire policies we had in the guilded age.

One could view it as anarchism in the sense that in Libertopia, there are no laws for the masters of the universe. Laws are only for keeping the hoi polloi under proper control and supervision, and away from the property of the Galtian Overlords.

Superficially, property rights are sacred. But dig deeper and notice that it is either up to the owner of the property to protect and keep it or 'commonly accepted' that everyone will help protect everyone else's property.

You didn't build that but this is a good choice because it's completely false. Especially considering that jeep production is gone up. Now if this is the last time I have to comment on Mitt Romney this year or frankly ever, I'm happy because I am glad he's not going to be taking the oath of office this January.

Superficially, property rights are sacred. But dig deeper and notice that it is either up to the owner of the property to protect and keep it or 'commonly accepted' that everyone will help protect everyone else's property.

The "commonly accepted" stuff is such horseshit that I've always assumed the first option (i.e., private armies) would be in play. What could possibly go wrong?

You didn't build that but this is a good choice because it's completely false. Especially considering that jeep production is gone up. Now if this is the last time I have to comment on Mitt Romney this year or frankly ever, I'm happy because I am glad he's not going to be taking the oath of office this January.

I have a different view. Romney is such a textbook example of GOP fail that I want reminders of his epic douchebaggery served up frequently, since many people have short attention spans and will forget the awful details without reminders.

exactly. It's on the same line as the assumption that if everyone is armed everyone will be polite, productive, ... And I keep pointing to the nations where everyone IS armed and asking what would prevent that from being true here.

Eh, there are more different and mutually loathing forms of "anarchism" than there are Socialisms and Communisms combined.

Though I still must admit that it was good humor as a DSA'er to watch the Trotskites and the Maoists get into a knock down bare knuckle brawl at a labor day party once. The CPUSA types hung back and only jumped in on the Maoists once they had won but were weakened. Cops got there at about that point...

I have a different view. Romney is such a textbook example of GOP fail that I want reminders of his epic douchebaggery served up frequently, since many people have short attention spans and will forget the awful details without reminders.

No argument there. I certainly won't forget his douchebaggery anytime soon but I am just super relieved he's not taking the oath next month.

He's the most unlikable nominee for a major party in my life time. I mean granted I'm 25 but words can't explain how unlikable and unsuitable for leadership Mitt Romney really was.

Since I write for a living, I'll take that as a challenge.

I think the unlikability issue for Romney is that he is a sincere plutocrat, and he is incapable of dissembling adequately on this point. In his world, the only people that count are his immediate friends and family, and peers of similar or greater wealth. Everyone else is a thing, to be exploited if useful, and ignored if not.

I think the unlikability issue for Romney is that he is a sincere plutocrat, and he is incapable of dissembling adequately on this point. In his world, the only people that count are his immediate friends and family, and peers of similar or greater wealth. Everyone else is a thing, to be exploited if useful, and ignored if not.

Right, there have been others who are just as wealthy as he is but are able to employ the common man touch. I mean I look at W Bush. Guy has quite the pedigree. Dad was president and Grandfather was a Senator. Not many if any Americans can claim that pedigree but Bush for all my faults with him could relate or try to do so with the average American. Maybe it's a personality thing, maybe he's a better bullshitter, or maybe something else but to me Romney's problem wasn't his wealth. It was relating to people beyond his class. Good example of that is the NASCAR owners bit. I mean I could give two shits about NASCAR but when you're asked about NASCAR, for fuck sake, don't say some of my friends own hte teams. And for heavens sake don't even joke about how you like to fire people when your argument is that the president has mismanaged the economy.

If that's Romney's biggest lie, I'd nominate his "Obama is gutting welfare reform" for the 2nd spot. It gets extra points for being totally untrue AND playing to a racist sentiment among some whites that minorities in the US are living large while doing nothing except riding on the backs of hard-working white folks. Part of a truly repugnant decades long GOP strategy that some Republicans (but not many) have finally acknowledged and condemned.

I think it's a fine choice by PolitiFact. Romney had two huge problems in Ohio. His public position to reject the auto bailout and Bain's record on outsourcing put his ass in a crack. The Jeep meme looked to be a potential home run by his strategy team- foreign auto saviors outsource jobs to China.

Sadly for Mittens, no one did their homework. It was a disastrous ad campaign and ensured his loss in Ohio. Not that it really would have mattered. Everything in the last two weeks of the campaign was breaking to Obama. Please refer to Florida, Virginia, Nevada, Wisconsin, Iowa, and Colorado.

As a Texas Dem all I can say is, Perry '16! It's the only way we can get rid of that particular spirochete.

I think it's a fine choice by PolitiFact. Romney had two huge problems in Ohio. His public position to reject the auto bailout and Bain's record on outsourcing put his ass in a crack. The Jeep meme looked to be a potential home run by his strategy team- foreign auto saviors outsource jobs to China.

Sadly for Mittens, no one did their homework. It was a disastrous ad campaign and ensured his loss in Ohio. Not that it really would have mattered. Everything in the last two weeks of the campaign was breaking to Obama. Please refer to Florida, Virginia, Nevada, Wisconsin, Iowa, and Colorado.

As a Texas Dem all I can say is, Perry '16! It's the only way can get rid of that particular spirochete.

Better idea: Tell Bobby Jindal it will help his changes if he exorcises Rick Perry and it'll be a good deed besides. For once Perry's demonic soul is sent back to Hell, the world will be better off.

Right, there have been others who are just as wealthy as he is but are able to employ the common man touch.

Just an aside, but I always found H.W. much more the common person than the fakey way his son came off. For me, HW left perfect legal safety to be a naval aviator in the pacific and did nearly die for that. His patriotism was real, unlike most Republicans. I almost never agreed with him. But I respected him in a way I rarely respected other Republicans.

Maddow noted that Obama won the state by nearly 10 points over his Republican challenger Mitt Romney. Yet, the apparently Democratic majority of Michigan residents were not reflected in the state legislature, where Republicans still have a solid majority.

“What has happened in Michigan is not some sort of miscounting of the votes,” Maddow explained. “It is not a mistake. It is weird, quite deliberately, and weird by design.”

“Elected officials draw up new districts for electing members of Congress and in state legislatures every ten years after the new census. Well, Republicans were in charge this time around in Michigan, so it was the Republicans who drew up the maps, and so Republicans got themselves pretty good advantage. They got to decide how to clump voters in certain districts, how to divide voters in other districts, so the election could produce the maximum number of Republican candidates that conscience and the federal Justice Department would allow.”

“Now, we’ve poked fun at this, saying such things as ‘there is no war on Christmas’ or ‘you’re fucking crazy.’ Classic wit,” Stewart continued. “But that is before I realized what these poor folks have been going through.”

Stewart then played a montage of Fox News personalities complaining that wimpy Christians were being bullied by intolerant atheists who didn’t respect tradition. But Stewart noted that these atheists had only said they wanted the government to stop favoring one religion over another.

Taking a mid-show nap, Stewart was shown what his life could have been like had all religions been treated equally.

In the Terry Pratchett fantasy novel "Soul Music", the characters are forming a band. They are picking out stage names. One of them, a troll, decides he would like a name that sounds like rocks or mountains, so he settles on "Cliff".

"You'll never last long in the music business with a name like 'Cliff'," replies one of the other bandmates...

Earlier this spring, residents of a rural community in Louisiana's Assumption Parish noticed mysterious bubbles rising to the surface in some bayous. Shortly thereafter, a series of small earthquakes shook the area, prompting state officials to investigate. But in Early August, the ground suddenly opened up and gave way — swallowing up acres of swamp forest. In its place there is now a gaping sinkhole filled with water, underground brines, oil, and natural gas. But this was no natural disaster, say geologists. It was the consequence of mining activities conducted by the oil and gas service company, Texas Brine.

Located about 45 miles south of Baton rouge, the Bayou Corne Sinkhole has grown to eight acres in size. In the weeks following the collapse, officials determined that an unstable and collapsing salt cavern was responsible — what prompted Texas Brine to blame seismic activity on the sinkhole.

But as Mike Ludwig from Truthout reports, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) has determined that it was the collapse of the cavern that caused the tremors felt in the neighborhood, and not the other way around — what was likely brought about by extensive mining.

Everyone will probably just be asleep, really. I wonder if they'll wake everyone with swozzles and noisemakers at whatever midnight it is wherever we are when we hit it.

I flew business class for the first time in my life, on my latest trip. The advantages are you get to check more free luggage (this was important because of all the stuff we brought for my daughter), get priority boarding (which Zedushka gets anyway because he is disabled) and wider seats that recline all the way back.

Is it worth paying double the price of a coach ticket? I wouldn't. My mom paid for the upgrade because she takes a business-class vacation every year, with my sister, and I have never gone with them.

Tell me about it. I work in China and my uni pays for one free round trip ticket each year. So, every year I endure 14 hours of air travel to see my kids and peeps. I've flown United, American and Air Nippon, and I have to say Air Nippon was much better than the first two. I swear the seats were more comfy, the food was better and we got free slippers!

This coming year, I will use up my free ticket for my daughter's wedding. After that, I plan to tell my famly it's time they visit me. I love them all, but flying that much is a strain.

No point in discussing. His "come at me" statement might as well have come from a brick wall.

What he is telling you is that he does not understand the science - or probably how peer-reviewed science works at all - and what he does understand of the topic (namely, whatever corresponds to his preconceived notions) tells him not to believe in it.

Tell me about it. I work in China and my uni pays for one free round trip ticket each year. So, every year I endure 14 hours of air travel to see my kids and peeps. I've flown United, American and Air Nippon, and I have to say Air Nippon was much better than the first two. I swear the seats were more comfy, the food was better and we got free slippers!

This coming year, I will use up my free ticket for my daughter's wedding. After that, I plan to tell my famly it's time they visit me. I love them all, but flying that much is a strain.

My daughter lives in Israel, and there are no direct flights out of Detroit so I always have to fly to some other city, either on the East Coast or Europe, to get a flight to Israel. I have flown KLM, Air France, Lufthansa, Delta, US Airways, and of course El Al. I like El Al the best.

In the Terry Pratchett fantasy novel "Soul Music", the characters are forming a band. They are picking out stage names. One of them, a troll, decides he would like a name that sounds like rocks or mountains, so he settles on "Cliff".

"You'll never last long in the music business with a name like 'Cliff'," replies one of the other bandmates...

I flew business class for the first time in my life, on my latest trip. The advantages are you get to check more free luggage (this was important because of all the stuff we brought for my daughter), get priority boarding (which Zedushka gets anyway because he is disabled) and wider seats that recline all the way back.

Is it worth paying double the price of a coach ticket? I wouldn't. My mom paid for the upgrade because she takes a business-class vacation every year, with my sister, and I have never gone with them.

For my trip to Malaysia last year we flew business class for the LA - Taipei - KL leg of the trip. Given that it's 10+ hours in the air being squeezed into coach would have probably killed me.

On the way back I went from business class into LA to coach for the flight from LA to Chicago and then Chicago to Philadelphia. No space, can't sleep (or even really doze) in near vertical position, and got my knees amputated by the jackass ahead of me fully reclining his seat at speed the moment we reached altitude.

My personal opinion is that the reclining range of airline seats needs to be severely limited even compared to the current range.

Once I got to fly business class because coach was overbooked and I got put on standby. Best part was not having to pay extra for the upgrade.

Mind you, this was probably 35 years ago. Not sure airlines are that generous anymore.

We flew biz class the first trip to and from Vietnam because it was spring break and the students had coach filled up. Very nice, especially the layover lounge in Seoul.
The second trip, when we brought our son home, was in coach. 24 hours in the center sardine seats with a three month old. I wish we could have afforded the upgrade that time...

For my trip to Malaysia last year we flew business class for the LA - Taipei - KL leg of the trip. Given that it's 10+ hours in the air being squeezed into coach would have probably killed me.

On the way back I went from business class into LA to coach for the flight from LA to Chicago and then Chicago to Philadelphia. No space, can't sleep (or even really doze) in near vertical position, and got my knees amputated by the jackass ahead of me fully reclining his seat at speed the moment we reached altitude.

My personal opinion is that the reclining range of airline seats needs to be severely limited even compared to the current range.

I actually almost always fly United on the rare occasions when I fly these days. American got rid of their Economy Plus seating and then moved the seats in even closer, so I couldn't fly on that airline today without serious leg pain. I need extra legroom (6'4").

I don't have the time right now, but somebody should review and time the next WAP:

Wingnut Apoplectic Poutrage

About this time yesterday as LGF's own token Breitbartians were noting the hot dog dude's hot dog stand, business, life, and next 3 generations of children were destroyed by union thugs, I was looking for more information on the web.

In about 20 minutes I noticed the hits increase by an order of magnitude.

Today, there are thousands of hits. All saying the same false information first shared on LGF yesterday:

They design planes for average heights (like me, 175 cm), but I swear they fudge the dimensions to make it as tight as possible. It's like trying on a pair of shoes that have the wrong size label on them.

They design planes for average heights (like me, 175 cm), but I swear they fudge the dimensions to make it as tight as possible. It's like trying on a pair of shoes that have the wrong size label on them.

They probably do work with dummies and such. But the dummies don't fidget, try to use a laptop, get a book out of their carry-on bag, or get up out of the window seat and get to the aisle past the others...

They design planes for average heights (like me, 175 cm), but I swear they fudge the dimensions to make it as tight as possible. It's like trying on a pair of shoes that have the wrong size label on them.

I know. If I'm ever taking a medium distance trip again and have a choice, I'm going to take Amtrak. I've found the seats have more room and they're wider. Plus you get better visuals out of the window (big plus for a visual person like me).

They probably do work with dummies and such. But the dummies don't fidget, try to use a laptop, get a book out of their carry-on bag, or get up out of the window seat and get to the aisle past the others...

Ergonomics only gets you so far.

Ergonomics are subjugated to economics. On Ryanair the seats don't even recline anymore. I take it in stride for a two-hour flight to Helsinki that costs me around $25 each way...

I don't have the time right now, but somebody should review and time the next WAP:

Wingnut Apoplectic Poutrage

About this time yesterday as LGF's own token Breitbartians were noting the hot dog dude's hot dog stand, business, life, and next 3 generations of children were destroyed by union thugs, I was looking for more information on the web.

In about 20 minutes I noticed the hits increase by an order of magnitude.

Today, there are thousands of hits. All saying the same false information first shared on LGF yesterday:

union thugs destroy hot dog stand

Actually, donations have already been made in amounts greater than need to replace all the equipment that man lost. So he'll be just fine.

Seatguru is your friend. I use that all the time when I'm flying to make sure that I'm getting the most legroom possible for available seating. Airlines will adjust seat pitch depending on perceived demand over time (space between seats), but it's best to sit on exit rows or behind bulkheads where no one can cramp your space.

But I also think that some airlines are allowing upgrades to more legroom, so this is a profit center for them (and a BDSM experience for everyone else, especially when you're 6'+).

To the point that the work "union" is now associated with "thugs" just like the word "welfare" is associated with "fraud".

Part of it is our own fault for letting them hijack the dialogue, unions are supposed to be associated with workers' rights, strong families and communities...what happened?

Someone with media savvy and piles of cash decided to build and push a particular narrative long enough to make it stick. That said narrative was profitable and drew plenty of allies willing to help spread it did not apparently hurt.

At the root of it is the fact that homo sapiens is not a logical creature. Logical thinking can be learned, but it is not the default mode.

I know. If I'm ever taking a medium distance trip again and have a choice, I'm going to take Amtrak. I've found the seats have more room and they're wider. Plus you get better visuals out of the window (big plus for a visual person like me).

Last year, we drove to New York for my daughter's engagement rather than fly. We stopped for the night at a Quality Inn in Clarion, PA (for $55), then when we got to NY we didn't have to rent a car because we already had one! :)

The down side is that on the way back there was a snow storm on I-80. But we had already pulled off the road for the night.

Someone with media savvy and piles of cash decided to build and push a particular narrative long enough to make it stick. That said narrative was profitable and drew plenty of allies willing to help spread it did not apparently hurt.

At the root of it is the fact that homo sapiens is not a logical creature. Logical thinking can be learned, but it is not the default mode.

The GOp was too invested to back away from the "you didn't build that" meme even after every non-wingnut in the country knew what it referred to, and they really fell on their faces over the "Jeep is outsourcing to China" Big Lie.

Actually, donations have already been made in amounts greater than need to replace all the equipment that man lost. So he'll be just fine.

I know. It was pretty ugly and I have little doubt he was probably called Uncle Tom and the niCLANG was dropped.

Many union members are construction workers after all. Not excusing it but understand of the situation. But we have to take into account two things by asking two questions:

Why were they there and what were they protesting?

Is unionism the cause of the thuggery, or thugs the cause of the thuggery who happen to work for the unions?

The narrative being driven is that unionism = thuggery. As much as I deplore Tarver being called an Uncle Tom and a niCLANG, that pales in comparison to the much more pernicious association of unionism and thuggery.

I know. It was pretty ugly and I have little doubt he was probably called Uncle Tom and the niCLANG was dropped.

Many union members are construction workers after all. Not excusing it but understand of the situation. But we have to take into account two things by asking two questions:

Why were they there and what were they protesting?

Is unionism the cause of the thuggery, or thugs the cause of the thuggery who happen to work for the unions?

The narrative being driven is that unionism = thuggery. As much as I deplore Tarver being called an Uncle Tom and a niCLANG, that pales in comparison to the much more pernicious association of unionism and thuggery.

101 years ago when the Triangle Shirtwaist factory burned to the ground, the owners tried to blame the fire on arson set by "Union thugs"

I know. It was pretty ugly and I have little doubt he was probably called Uncle Tom and the niCLANG was dropped.

Many union members are construction workers after all. Not excusing it but understand of the situation. But we have to take into account two things by asking two questions:

Why were they there and what were they protesting?

Is unionism the cause of the thuggery, or thugs the cause of the thuggery who happen to work for the unions?

The narrative being driven is that unionism = thuggery. As much as I deplore Tarver being called an Uncle Tom and a niCLANG, that pales in comparison to the much more pernicious association of unionism and thuggery.

The "thuggery " such as what little there is, exists because Union members remember how many times the corporations, often with government help, stooped to assault and murder to prevent workers form having any rights. This time we're in the propaganda phase as the GOP tries to get to the point where they can ban unions.

Management can be thuggish too.
Management will pay somebody else to do the dirty work, be it swing a pipe, light a garbage can on fire, or write an OpEd or host a radio show to push a narrative that the unions are being thugs because it's their nature. Completely detached from the reason the unions organized and are upset in the first place.

It's a similar rhetorical framework for justifying racism by painting the minority as less than human: the unions are less than human, made up of heathens and low hanging human fruit, acting out because it's their nature, see?

Very nasty.
The Kochs can be thugs too, albeit a much more powerful and far ranging pseudo-intellectual thuggery. Instead of swinging a pipe or lighting a trash can on fire they can write a few checks paying propagandists to infer justification of treating the unions as less than human, scum... and setting justification to settle the union violence and rage with an alternate response of violence.

Kim Jong Un ....
Pakistani schoolgirl and girls’ education advocate Malala Yousafzai, who was shot in the head by a Taliban gunman for her outspoken activism, placed 15th; Korean rapper Psy, creator of the ‘Gangnam Style’-sensation and the most-watched video in YouTube history, placed 17th.

Better luck next time. I think these news orgs should retime the online polls for person of the year. The Guardian has a very Pro-Manning/Wikileaks editorial slant but even they seemed embarrassed that Bradley Manning ended up winning their person of the year. It's just too easy to spam polls and make the award meaningless.

Better luck next time. I think these news orgs should retime the online polls for person of the year. The Guardian has a very Pro-Manning/Wikileaks editorial slant but even they seemed embarrassed that Bradley Manning ended up winning their person of the year. It's just too easy to spam polls and make the award meaningless.

Is there a way to stop the slideshow so I can actually read the questions?

You don't need to read them, just give your gut reaction to Obama's plans to fleece the rich, wreck the economy and drive us all into government dependency so he can be elected to a third and permanent term.

Speaking of the Breitbrats, last night I was looking for something to watch on Amazon Prime instant video and came across Occupy Unmasked. I almost spit coffee all over my keyboard when I read the description:

A shocking indictment of one of the most controversial movements in American history, featuring the conservative visionary Andrew Breitbart and journalists Brandon Darby, David Horowitz, Pam Keys, Anita MonCrief, Mandy Nagy, and Lee Stranahan.

Speaking of the Breibrats, last night I was looking for something to watch on Amazon Prime instant video and came across Occupy Unmasked. I almost spit coffee all over my keyboard when I read the description:

Speaking of the Breibrats, last night I was looking for something to watch on Amazon Prime instant video and came across Occupy Unmasked. I almost spit coffee all over my keyboard when I read the description:

Conservative visionary?
The only thing he was visionary about was self promotion.

Just one freaking moron and Twitchy. What a bunch of idiots. I'm surprised they're even able to type. It was a joke. In fact it was a weak old guy joke since it rains a lot in London. Or at least it used to.

Just one freaking moron and Twitchy. What a bunch of idiots. I'm surprised they're even able to type. It was a joke. In fact it was a weak old guy joke since it rains a lot in London. Or at least it used to.

Everyone was freaking out about something last night during the concert. On Twitter that is. You name it. And I thought I was a grouchy old cynic. Kanye wearing that skirt freaked everyone out. People whining about Paul McCartney playing too much Wings (as if that's anything new). Some people making stupid jokes about the audience being whiter then a a "KKK rally for Palin." That was from someone who runs a well known lefty blog. Other people moaning about all the white people in the audience. Fuck. Stupid Americans.

Everyone was freaking out about something last night during the concert. On Twitter that is. You name it. And I thought I was a grouchy old cynic. Kanye wearing that skirt freaked everyone out. People whining about Paul McCartney playing too much Wings (as if that's anything new). Some people making stupid jokes about the audience being white then a a "KKK rally for Palin." That was from someone who runs a well known lefty blog. Other people moaning about all the white people in the audience. Fuck. Stupid Americans.

The amount of vitriol over Kanye's set surprised me, honestly.

I'm not the least bit familiar with his music, and the thing that kinda pissed me off about it was the mix on TV was so bad I couldn't get a handle on what the hell he was doing.

The mix seemed off to me all night. with the exception of Clapton (and some of Townshend's stuff during the 'Oo set), I didn't hear a single guitar solo all night.

I'm not the least bit familiar with his music, and the thing that kinda pissed me off about it was the mix on TV was so bad I couldn't get a handle on what the hell he was doing.

The mix seemed off to me all night. with the exception of Clapton (and some of Townshend's stuff during the 'Oo set), I didn't hear a single guitar solo all night.

Kanye dropped the n-word if I'm not mistaken. That led to slight up-tick from the PC police in the form of "why now?" As if he's some kind of spokesman to liberalism. Um, no. The skirt thing blew up people's minds since it still remains as a gender fuck. That led to all sorts of transphobic thoughts and by default, gayness day dreaming. Especially in the macho driven culture of that musical genre.

Kanye dropped the n-word if I'm not mistaken. That led to slight up-tick from the PC police in the form of "why now?" As if he's some kind of spokesman to liberalism. Um, no. The skirt thing blew up people's minds since it still remains as a gender fuck. That led to all sorts of transphobic thoughts and by default, gayness day dreaming. Especially in the macho driven culture of that musical genre.

I thought the musical acts were great, the comedy bits not so much, but I get why they needed those - to fill dead air while they changed the stage for each musical act.

Thought that Bruce and Bon Jovi were great, Roger Waters was pretty good, the Stones weren't bad, the Who was awesome, and couldn't stay up to hear Billy Joel, Paul McCartney and Nirvana.

Alicia Keys was nice (and where were more female acts? the whole show seemed to have skewed old white, and British with the triumvirate of British rock royalty showing up, plus Clapton). Didn't really get the whole Kanye thing, and maybe would have been nice to see the surviving members of the Beastie Boys or Run DMC for a truly NYC vibe. No Lady Gaga or Madonna, despite their ties to NYC either. Odd that.

But overall their hearts were in the right place and in the end, that's what the performances were all about. We'll see just how much they raised in coming weeks and how efficiently they get that money to where it's needed.

Kanye dropped the n-word if I'm not mistaken. That led to slight up-tick from the PC police in the form of "why now?" As if he's some kind of spokesman to liberalism. Um, no. The skirt thing blew up people's minds since it still remains as a gender fuck. That led to all sorts of transphobic thoughts and by default, gayness day dreaming. Especially in the macho driven culture of that musical genre.

I thought the visuals of his set, from costume to lighting, were pretty striking. The mix killed it for me, though.

And wearing a skirt (kilt?)? Axl Rose did it back in '88. It might be something new in the hip-hop world, but geeze. There are so many other things to get righteous about, like Jagger's rain joke.
///

Everyone was freaking out about something last night during the concert. On Twitter that is. You name it. And I thought I was a grouchy old cynic. Kanye wearing that skirt freaked everyone out. People whining about Paul McCartney playing too much Wings (as if that's anything new). Some people making stupid jokes about the audience being whiter then a a "KKK rally for Palin." That was from someone who runs a well known lefty blog. Other people moaning about all the white people in the audience. Fuck. Stupid Americans.

A bunch of old white rockers attracting an old white audience. Nobody could have guessed that was going to happen!

I thought the musical acts were great, the comedy bits not so much, but I get why they needed those - to fill dead air while they changed the stage for each musical act.

Thought that Bruce and Bon Jovi were great, Roger Waters was pretty good, the Stones weren't bad, the Who was awesome, and couldn't stay up to hear Billy Joel, Paul McCartney and Nirvana.

Alicia Keys was nice (and where were more female acts? the whole show seemed to have skewed old white, and British with the triumvirate of British rock royalty showing up, plus Clapton). Didn't really get the whole Kanye thing, and maybe would have been nice to see the surviving members of the Beastie Boys or Run DMC for a truly NYC vibe. No Lady Gaga or Madonna, despite their ties to NYC either. Odd that.

But overall their hearts were in the right place and in the end, that's what the performances were all about. We'll see just how much they raised in coming weeks and how efficiently they get that money to where it's needed.

The McCartney set was pretty good. He played a few classic Beatles songs. He hit the bass, guitar, and piano. I think it was one song from Nirvana with Grohl and what's his face on bass. Big pyrotechnics on stage for the ending. Surprised he didn't go up in flames. He looked pretty happy and he's 70 years old.

The McCartney set was pretty good. He played a few classic Beatles songs. He hit the bass, guitar, and piano. I think it was one song from Nirvana with Grohl and what's his face on bass. Big pyrotechnics on stage for the ending. Surprised he didn't go up in flames. He looked pretty happy and he's 70 years old.

I think the pyro got to Macca. After the song he sat at the piano shaking his head and rubbing his eyes.

And if you want to talk about offensive - Crist Novoselic's purple velvet shirt and green pants are still burned into my retinas. Dude needed a stylist last night.

Doesn't Ariana understand "too big to fail"...it's not just for banks anymore

She's trying to gain some hipster points. Last I checked she was worth 300 million dollars and then there was that writer compensation thing -- which they lost in court again yesterday. The CEO of HuffPo is Timothy Armstrong and it's owned by AOL/Time Warner. She's in bed with the very same people she's concerned about.

She's trying to gain some hipster points. Last I checked she was worth 300 million dollars and then there was that writer compensation thing -- which they lost in court again yesterday. The CEO of HuffPo is Timothy Armstrong and it's owned by AOL/Time Warner. She's in bed with the very same people she's concerned about.

Well, weirdly, he's right. Bestiality has always been a legally-contested issue. There are states where it's not illegal, and there are weirder states where it's illegal only with certain animals.

I think it should be illegal because for chrissakes the poor animals, holy cow. But not because it's 'wrong'. A guy screwing a pile of dirt is wrong too but I don't see much point in criminalizing that.

Well, weirdly, he's right. Bestiality has always been a legally-contested issue. There are states where it's not illegal, and there are weirder states where it's illegal only with certain animals.

I think it should be illegal because for chrissakes the poor animals, holy cow. But not because it's 'wrong'. A guy screwing a pile of dirt is wrong too but I don't see much point in criminalizing that.

I thought sex with animals is prohibited in secular law because animals can't be consenting partners.

I think it should be illegal because for chrissakes the poor animals, holy cow. But not because it's 'wrong'. A guy screwing a pile of dirt is wrong too but I don't see much point in criminalizing that.

I thought sex with animals is prohibited in secular law because animals can't be consenting partners.

Animals can't consent to being shot in the face either, but we let people do that. It is my impression-- and this comes from random semi-drunk talk from a Law-Talking-Guy friend-- that bestiality laws in the US are either based on morality or on the harm to the animal, not on issue of consent.

Hostess was killed by hedge fund managers who had no clue how to run company or deal with high material costs (you know, like sugar), and instead had no problem forcing concessions on unions that had already given wage concessions all while taking bonuses for doing such a wonderful job.

NHL owners aren't blameless in their mess.

Unions take a lot of flak for Detroit's woes, but the management at the automakers isn't blameless either. Takes two to tango.

Unions did not kill Detroit or Hostess. They could have kept them afloat a bit longer by accepting more concessions, but that would've been like falling on their swords for the mistakes of ther generals.

Animals can't consent to being shot in the face either, but we let people do that. It is my impression-- and this comes from random semi-drunk talk from a Law-Talking-Guy friend-- that bestiality laws in the US are either based on morality or on the harm to the animal, not on issue of consent.